The Idiosyncratic
by Blueberry Brown Bear
Summary: Max has been having these awful frightening dreams that she can't seem to shake away. When she starts to see hallucinations of doe ears and other animal peculiarities appearing on her body she knows her dreams must be significant. (Max and others start to turn into their spirit animals, blah, blah, I can't summarise, enjoy maybe please?)
1. Chapter 1 - With Shaky Hands

The Idiosyncratic

Chapter 1 - With Shaky Hands

* * *

Max clutched her naked shoulders, shivering - trembling. Her eyes were lined with a pastel red, warm tears rolling down her blotchy cheeks and dripping off her chin as glassy shards. Her teeth were chattering, each breath she let out was a wisp of white smoke which fell to the ground as icy crystals.

She was surrounded by darkness which was disguised as freshly fallen snow. The freezing wind had jagged, scrawny fingers which grasped her bones and locked them into place, forbidding her movement.

She opened her cracked busted lips, the cold wind instantly entering her mouth and forcing its way down her throat and into her lungs. The icy wind hurt and made her insides numb, she felt like she could be split in half.

Max gagged and coughed, desperately trying to exhale the air in a bolting attempt to eject the biting wind. More tears spilt down Max's cheeks, it felt as if someone was forcing their hands down her throat, trying to rip out her stomach and spill her contents onto the snow.

Max's back arched and she outstretched her hands, digging her nails into the snow as she felt a warm, familiar, bubbly liquid rise up her throat and flood into her mouth. She grimaced at the taste, it was nothing she could've imagined.

It felt as if someone had used sandpaper to scrape away the insides of her throat, letting the acid from her stomach burn into her cuts. Then poured burning mercury down her throat which was melting through her skin and dripping onto the ground between her knees.

Max opened her teary eyes and finally took a breath in, looking at her stomach's contents which were now turning the white snow crimson. Her eyes widened in shock, blood. There was blood wrapped around her fingers and staining her pale skin. It appeared as if someone had been murdered right before her, she pulled her hands away the snowy plasma and found four small pastel pinky - blue crystals scattered in her 'vomit'. A small tag was tied to one of them, the largest. She flipped over the tiny note, trying not to blur the letters with her red liquid. It read, 'swallow me.'

* * *

Max woke up in a blur, everything was so sudden, the light, the music, the sweat encased around her body. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust and as soon as they did she quickly peeled her back off the bed sheet and sat up, running her sweaty palms and shaky fingers through her hair.

Max rapidly noticed it was only a nightmare, in fact, the third one that week. She exhaled deeply and gathered her thoughts before swinging her legs around the side of her bed.

Max dug her feet into the carpet and slowly slithered her hands from her head down around the back of her neck remembering her dream. She swallowed some saliva and noticed her throat felt a little scratchy but that was probably because she was murmuring in her sleep.

A few more seconds of letting Breeze Blocks play she stood up and walked over to her closet. She was definitely going to need a shower she thought as she passed by her mirror. Some of her hair was stuck to the sides of her face, her cheeks were red like she had just been running a marathon and her shirt was damp with sweat from back to front.

After grabbing her shower basket and a new change of clothes she spun and looked out the window, she could instantly tell she was up earlier than usual, the sun was only just starting to rise and there was a thick layer of fog along Blackwell's grass. There were light drops of dew along the window and a few streaks of water which had run down the glass. Max pressed her palm against the window for the cool temperature and when she removed it her hand print was left on the glass. Not a bad shot, if she could be bothered to search for her camera.

Max inhaled again, her lungs were only allowing small capacities of air as her adrenaline was still pacing back to normal.

Max headed towards her door and wrapped a hand around the metal doorknob and she pushed it open, cold air instantly swept into her room and she felt a shiver pass down her spine. Slowly she stepped into the hallway, no one seemed to be up yet - she didn't blame them either, it was too early. Max felt like a zombie roaming abandoned hallways for energy. But she was like that most mornings anyway.

Max quickly descended down the hall towards the showers trying to stop thinking about her nightmare and the odd significance of the crystals. It was the same in her other dreams except this was the first time she was in the snow, once she was in mid air, underground suffocating and in a dark hospital room. She always jolted awake when she was holding the same crystals.

Max furrowed her eyebrows deep in thought. The dreams had to mean something, why was she always alone in the dreams, always scared or about to die? When she held the crystals why did she wake up? What would happen if she swallowed the crystals? And...What would happen if she didn't?

* * *

 _Sorry if it was shitty..._


	2. Chapter 2 - Mirror Mirror On The Wall

The Idiosyncratic

Chapter 2 - Mirror Mirror On The Wall

* * *

Max quickly turned the shower handle off and rolled her eyes towards her stupidity. _Of course_ she had forgotten a spare change of clothes. She was so caught up in her daydreaming she had forgotten that she was in fact a human being and that people don't run around naked.

Max moved some of her wet hair from her eyes and peered out stealthy around the shower curtain. A sway of hot cloudy steam made its way from behind the curtain she had been showering in and spread throughout the room.

 _Okay Max, you got this. Just… Don't make any noise._

Slowly Max pushed the shower curtain away from her body and sprinted over to the sink.

On her journey she happened to kick over a beer can which clanged on the ground noisily and while she worried about that, she accidentally stepped on a spare bottle of shampoo which squirted out onto the floor making her slip and crash into the sink knocking over a packet of hairclips which had been left, they scattered along the ground.

… _..Wow Max. Wow._

The freckled girl straightened up, relieved that no one was awake to see that. Max reached for her white towel and her damp-with-sweat pajamas. The girl hastily wrapped the towel around her thin form in fear that the noise she made would have alerted some of the girls in the dorm. Max looked down at her cocoon of pajamas, and grimaced, she wasn't putting those back on. Not before they get washed anyway.

Once Max's body was wrapped up, she looked towards the door but before leaving decided to check her appearance. She moved into sight of one of the mirrors.

Max wiped her hand along the mirror which was clouded with fog and looked at her reflection just to make sure she wasn't oblivious to something like 'Loser' written in permanent marker across her forehead. Luckily there was nothing there.

Well honestly there wasn't exactly _nothing..._ She definitely saw _something_ … Something very odd.

Max creased her eyebrows in confusion, looking at the mirror again and leaning in towards it slowly, checking to see if she had only imagined it. There looking back at her, was herself, obviously. But what she couldn't explain where the two small brown ears poking out from the top of her head. Concerned she reached up and touched the top of her head where the shell shaped ears were poking out. There was nothing there.

Now currently wondering if she was going insane, Max stepped back from the mirror her heart beating in her chest and moved to the next sink. She wiped the fog away from the mirror and looked at her reflection again. This time there were no 'ears.' Well, that's what she assumed they were anyway.

She repositioned her towel and slowly stepped back into the original mirror. Again, no ears. Max squinted her eyes shut, checking again. She creased her eyebrows in confusion and shook her head as if shaking away a trance. No ears… Of course there wasn't, pfft, what was she? Insane?

Max let out a sigh of relief. _Obviously_ , the heat from the room must've been getting to her head, she quickly left the room with a towel wrapped around her and pajamas in hand.

 _Wowzers, it's cold._

Max cradled her arms as she held the towel up around her body while she walked down the hallway. She hoped none of the other girls would wake up before she got back to her room. And, no one did.

* * *

Max quickly entered her room, shutting the door behind her. She placed her back against the wooden structure and slid down it slowly - exhaling deeply - just contemplating her life as she sat on the ground in a pool of water with a wet towel wrapped around her body.

 _These dreams are totally bizarro… Maybe Warren would know something? No… This isn't science... Is it? Plus, how would he react? He'd think I'm totally strange… Maybe I am._

Max bit her lip for a second remembering her reflection in the bathroom. The ears looked so... Real. The way they were twitching around reacting to the sound of the shower dripping. Max thought for a second longer, she quickly decided that she sounded completely insane and that it was probably just stress that was making her see things. Best not to bring it up again.

* * *

 _Thanks for the feedback guys! :) Lemme know if you find any errors or have any suggestions._


	3. Chapter 3 - Apology Of Lazy Days

The Idiosyncratic

Chapter 3 - Apology Of Lazy Days

* * *

Max licked her dry lips, she was so warm and sleepy. Slowly consciousness started to dawn on her and she lifted her heavy eyelids, slowly adjusting to the sunlight.

 _Sunlight… Sunlight? Shit!_

Max instantly threw body upwards off her desk which had been stuck to her skin like tape. The sun was bright, way up in the sky, midday. Her eyebrows came together as devastation flooded over her. Class started without her.

Her adrenaline had gone from normal to rocketing through the roof. She was wide awake, as were her eyes. In a matter of seconds, it usually took her at least 20 minutes to be fully awake.

Max stood up, noticing a piece of paper damp with drool stuck to the side of her cheek. She quickly pulled it off, glad she was alone. She held the note in her hand and read the handwriting on it.

 _'Hey Max, sorry I didn't wake you, I heard you in the showers this morning I assumed you didn't get much sleep. I told Mr.J that you were sick, take the day off.' Kate (✿◠‿◠)_

Max dropped the note on the ground and pushed her palms into her eyes, god, she was tired. But… She still needed to go to class. There was too much work piling up already.

Max lifted her arms above her head and stretched up, hearing her back pop she relaxed and opened her closet.

Max flipped through some clothes, but it wasn't like she kept mall in her closet... Unlike Victoria.

Max smirked for a second, she could totally sneak into Victoria's room and take something….But as if she would ever do such a thing.

Max pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans, a white t - shirt which had a tribal looking bear on it and a black hoodie much like her grey one.

She quickly dressed and looked in the mirror. She felt the edges of her lips curl upwards.

 _Better than usual._

Luckily she didn't need to take another shower. Her skin was clear and her freckles complimented the colour of her hair, speaking of, her hair was slightly more curly than usual-

She froze.

Max rose her fingernails to her lips, her breathing quickly intensified.

There they were again, the ears! They were pointy, brown, furry and sticking out at the top her her head like a cat.

Max ran to her desk, retrieving her camera and tripped her way over back to the mirror.

Max felt like she shouldn't even bother to freak out if the same thing is going to happen every time she looks in a mirror she may as well get used to it. The girl rose the camera and took a shot. As fast as possible.

She pulled the camera down from her face and checked the mirror, the flower petal shapes ears were still there. Before looking the photo an idea popped into her head and she imagined she could feel the ears on her head. She concentrated, hard. Almost glaring at the mirror.

Then, they moved. Both at the same time, like they were reacting to sound. Max moved the ears! Her ears? She reached up to touch them… Again, there was nothing. It was so strange, she could almost physically feel the ears on her head, but she couldn't touch them. They were moving like satellite discs.

Max didn't know what to feel, excited? Disappointed? Worried or concerned? Was she having a psychotic episode?

Max grabbed the polaroid from her camera.

 _Oh, of course._

The picture was missing what she was seeing. Just her face, looking in the mirror with shock. For Max, that confirmed it. She was going mental. Did something slip something into her drink? Were the pancakes she ate the two whales diner laced with some sort of drug which caused hallucinations?

Max sighed to herself and ran her hands through her hair.

She moved her eyes through her dorm room as if looking for a solution. Max bit her lip and internally battled with herself, trying to decide what choice to make.

 _Ugh! Stuff it._

Max grabbed her brown bag, her camera, phone, a few books and her pencil case and rushed out of the dorm. Sprinting to the main building.

* * *

 _Sorry for the very short and shitty chapter, someone close to me ended their life other night. I haven't really been in the mood. Thank for reading anyway._


	4. Chapter 4 - The Mirror Doesn't Mirror

The Idiosyncratic

Chapter 4 - The Mirror Doesnt Mirror

* * *

When Max opened up the large doors to enter the school hall she felt her feet give way beneath her and her body crashed to the ground, her palms skidding against the floor. Her things scattered all around her and a sharp pain shot through her ankle. She bit her lip to stop her from crying out.

Ugh dammit! What's with my clumsiness today?

Max moved her chest from the ground sat on her feet. She reached her arms forwards gathering her scattered things around her knees. Max was thankful no one was around to see her.

The girl picked up her things and slowly started to stand up, being careful to avoid applying pressure on her right leg. Once up straight she lightly put her injured foot down and put some pressure on it, a sting rose up her leg and she took pressure off. She didn't think it was broken, it probably just twisted awkwardly when she fell.

Max, exhaling deeply, started limping towards her class. She imagined limping into the room, everyone turning to look at her. Jefferson looking at her, giving her that same dull bird eye stare, God, she can't think straight. What would happen after she walks in? Will he send her back to her dorm room? Will he tell her to stay?

As Max turned the corner her eyes caught the bathroom door, she didn't need to think twice before she started limping over to it. She'd just splash some water on her face, maybe she'd try to cool down her throbbing ankle then she'd go to class.

Max walked into the bathroom and set her stuff down at the sink, she turned on the tap and brought her cupped hands to her face, splashing the water onto her skin. A few seconds later she turned the tap off and looked into the mirror.

Woah.

Max jumped back.

What the fuck?

Not even Max was seeing her own reflection now. Instead, looking back at her with black marble eyes was a caramel colored doe.

Max took in a large breath, processing what her eyes were telling and her and trying to calm herself down. When her eyes opened again, she looked at her hands to make sure they weren't hoofs, they weren't. Of course, they weren't.

Max slowly moved closer to the mirror, the deer in the reflection was too getting closer. When she reached the sink, Max slowly lifted her hand and placed it against the mirror. She almost expected to fall through it or to find out it was an entrance to another dimension. It wasn't a totally crazy thought, not after what she's been seeing today.

Max noticed the deer didn't lift a hoof off the ground to put against her hand. It stopped mirroring her. Like it had a mind of its own. The lights flickered and Max's head shot upwards to watch them slowly glow back to normal. Her stomach did a flip inside her and she felt her heart beating against her ribs.

Max looked in the mirror again and she felt her stomach fall through her feet. The deer was still standing, and behind it, stood up against the stall door, a bear. It was huge, with black beady eyes and large claws ready to rip open anything that moved. There was drool hanging from its huge white teeth and its lips were peeled back, snarling like an angry dog. It took a step and then jumped at the deer. The lights flickered again.

Max spun around as fast as possible, fearing it was behind her and the lights blacked out. Her heart was beating faster than it probably ever had in her life.

Although her lips were sealed and she was shaking like a leaf, a deafening scream erupted from right in front of her. She stepped back and crashed into the sink. Her blood ran cold, she couldn't identify who the screaming came from but it was definitely out of agony, what seemed like an eternity later, the lights flickered back on. In front of her, against the stalls doors written in blood, it read:

We will all die unless you find the tiger's eye.

Max didn't even notice that she had started to hyperventilate until her breathing was blocking out any other sound.

Slowly she turned to look in the mirror again, her fingers gripping the sink like it was a lifeline. In the mirror deer was dead, its lifeless body slung over the stall door. Max swallowed if her reflection was the deer what did this mean for her?

Max noticed there were other chunks of meat around the room, on one wall it looked like someone had been picked up and slammed against the surface, their body splattering like an egg. In fact, the whole room looked like a tornado ran through it.

Max turned around to look at the writing, but it was no longer there.

She felt a scream caught in her throat and her cheeks were already wet with tears, whether it was due the shock she just endured, the fear for her life or the lack of sleep and emotional unreadiness she needed a hug, she needed to tell someone. She needed to see Warren.

* * *

Max limped out of the bathroom, holding back sobs. Her eyes were taking a long time to adjust, everything was white and glowy. Her eyes felt hot and she knew they were red from tears, she felt something bubbling at the back of her throat but she ignored it. Her body felt like jelly and she could feel the muscles in her legs contracting. She didn't notice the blood spilling from her nose and the dark circles which had wrapped themselves under her eyes. She almost... Looked dead.

Max lifted her arm to the science room door, she hadn't figured what she was going to say or do, she didn't even think about how she would face Miss Grant but it was like half of her mind was asleep but her body was still compelling her forwards.

Max applied some pressure to the door and slowly pushed it open, she stumbled into the room. Miss Grant, who was in the middle of a speech turned to look at the pale girl, as did everyone else in the class.

"Max? What on Earth?"

The freckled girl stumbled forwards and turned her head to look at everyone. She saw Warren, sitting in front of Nathan, both were watching her. She felt her legs collapsing under her weight.

"Max?"

"Warren."

She took a step towards him and she felt her body fall under her weight. She saw Warren stand and rush towards her but it was too late.

She collapsed and there was nothing.

* * *

 **Sorry if it was crappy. :) I haven't really been in the mood lately.**


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